Hilariously, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast fixes most of these plot holes in the first five minutes. This is a confident film that bursts out of the gate strong and barely ever falters. Emma Watson makes a great Belle, and by making the townsfolk actually unlikable, she doesn’t seem so much of a brat at the start.  The Beast is wonderfully realised – we’re able to truly see Dan Stevens’ performance through the VFX – but more importantly, I actually understand why they fall in love, what they see in each other.  Luke Evans’ Gaston easily rivals his animated counterpart, whilst Josh Gad makes LeFou a much more interesting character. Also, I’m once again impressed at how smoothly Kevin Kline has slipped into supporting roles over the recent years.

The production design is as lavish as you’d expect, but through the clever use of particular lenses and colour, it never becomes overwhelming. The cinematography is great except for one particular disappointment: “Be Our Guest”. A flurry of quick cuts and a camera that won’t sit still, this scene was simply too much (not to mention the fact I’m less than enamoured with the new Lumiere design). That being said, “Belle”, “Gaston” and “The Mob Song” are easily as good as the original versions, and Menken’s score is deliciously grandiose but never overwhelming.

I love the subtle changes that have been included to fix the more awkward parts of the cartoon, whether it be Belle’s agency or the couple of homophobic punchlines that felt really awkward when I rewatched the film on DVD the other day.

It’s clear that Disney threw a tonne of cash at the film, yet the budget never overwhelms the performances. Bill Condon is a fantastic director (with the right material) and you’d be pleased to know that this is closer to Gods and Monsters-Condon rather than Twilight sequels-Condon.

With every Disney live-action remake that’s announced, we all cringe, yet so far they’ve done a decent job. The Jungle Book, Cinderella and Maleficent all had their moments, even if I’m yet to meet anyone that’s seen Pete’s Dragon. (I have; it’s mostly forgettable.) Of their upcoming slate, I think Mulan is in the perfect position to blow us all away. For me, this Beauty and the Beast is a definite improvement on the 1991 feature, and barely puts a foot wrong.

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And for most of the film, I was unsure. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone – you get these two on a screen together and the film’s bound to be great, yeah? Gosling is effortlessly cool whilst Stone is effortlessly likable, and these two very pretty people are at the top of their game right now. Sure, the direction by Whiplash‘s Damien Chazelle was strong, but still I had this nagging feeling that I was only enjoying La La Land because it was different.

Then the final act happened, and I was sold. It was only in that portion that the film truly excelled, and showed us something different, and I loved it.

Importantly, the songs were excellent. They are spread unevenly throughout the film – sometimes the singing is bunched together, other times we get nothing but dialogue for close to half an hour – but above all, I was pleased to discover that they weren’t very literal. I don’t have an aversion to musicals, but I do have a problem when a song’s telling me something the story’s already made clear. Here, however, the lyrics are worthy of multiple listens.

And then there’s the choreography. Provided by Mandy Moore (no, not that one), it’s really, really impressive. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Gosling and Stone aren’t the world’s best singers/dancers, but that’s the way musicals work these days in Hollywood. Doesn’t stop me feeling sorry for all the truly excellent singers and dancers out there who are relegated to background roles though…

Stone plays an aspiring actress, Gosling plays an aspiring jazz musician. Together, they’re mourning the death of their art. The film itself is a love letter to Old Hollywood, and there’s a particularly impressive role in here for singer/songwriter John Legend, who is kinda making fun of himself, but not quite.

At 128 minutes, the film isn’t short, but it flowed effortlessly for me. The only negative is that the first and second act aren’t anything particularly fresh. But who can really complain when the talent in front and behind the camera is so good?

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Essentially a body swap sci-fi/fantasy, it tells the story of Taki (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) and Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi), two high school kids who periodically switch bodies. Mitsuha is from a beautiful small country town, whilst Taki lives in the bustling metropolis of Tokyo. Whenever they wake up in their own bodies once more, they have only fleeting memories of their experiences as the other person, like an abstract dream clinging onto the edge of consciousness. In their attempt to find meaning in this strange turn of events, they find themselves heading towards disaster.

For those who worry that “traditional” 2D animation is dead, look no further than Your Name (Kimi no na wa). The film is stunning to behold. A mix of 2D characters and frequently three-dimensional backgrounds makes for jaw-dropping viewing. This is the new gold standard of 2D animation. Maybe I’ve been watching too many anime TV shows and not enough features (I’m looking at you, ‘Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles’) but I was frequently amazed at not only the detail of the images here, but the sheer numbers of elements in motion at any one time. It’s clear that a lot of painstaking work went into this.

Shinkai is a master of montage, and I’ve often found his short films to be too fast-paced as a result. In Your Name, the story actually gets time to breathe. This means, when we do get to his trademark montages, they’re all the more effective.

For all the praise I’m heaping upon the film, there’s very little original here. We’ve seen similar stories in Frequency or The Lake House, but it’s Shinkai’s ability to provoke an emotional response that makes this such exceptional viewing. The climax is an incredibly complicated piece of filmmaking, and seemed to almost stretch out for half an hour. Yet every moment of it was tear-jerking, pulse-pounding stuff.

Fans of speculative fiction should seek this one out. Those who want a romance that really resonates will be rewarded also. It’s a stunning piece of animation, and the 106 minutes fly by.

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In between season 1 and 2 of the show came Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie. It was set during the summer holidays and saw the characters holidaying in Hong Kong during a narrative that could easily sit to one side of the main show. The second movie, The Sealed Card, has its job cut out for it: to neatly tie off the loose plot strands that were left dangling at the end of episode 70 of the show. What this really means is some kind of closure for Sakura’s love life, not to mention…umm, actually that’s about it.

First off, seeing Cardcaptor Sakura in wondrous widescreen with bigger than usual production values is thrilling in itself. The first movie retained the 4:3 aspect ratio, but this one looks much more impressive on a big TV. Surprisingly, the audio mix (5.1 in both the English and Japanese versions, finally!) is exceptional. It may seem unlikely, but this is the first time in a while I’ve been really impressed by DVD audio, perhaps because you don’t have very high expectations when it comes to this sort of thing. The subtitled text is ugly – huge letters in a strange font, rather than the usual yellow – but this is a small quibble.

If only the film had a decent story to fill out the 80 minutes. As is often the case with feature-length sequels to anime TV series (see Blood-C: The Last Dark), The Sealed Card feels like an afterthought. (And would be pointless to watch if you haven’t seen the show before.) In a premise that conjures up memories of Highlander 3: The Sorcerer‘s “oops, there was an Immortal trapped in a cave that we forgot to mention earlier” plotline, it concerns a card that has, up until now, been sealed away from the world. As lame as that sounds, the exciting thing is that it’s easily the most powerful antagonist Sakura (Sakura Tange) has ever faced. As her own powers begin to dwindle, the sense of impending danger is keenly felt.

When it comes to Sakura and Syaoran’s (Motoko Kumai) love story, however, the film is less successful. I understand the characters aren’t even out of primary school, but waiting the better part of an hour for Sakura to get over her shyness really grates.

The DVD presentation is exceptional, and there’s a ten minute short, ‘Leave it to Kero’ that recalls the fun segments that the little cake-obsessed flying lion (Aya Hisakawa) had back in series 1. The case art means it’ll look great on your shelf next to the rest of your CCS discs, that’s for sure.

At the end of the day, there is barely enough material here to fill an episode. In fact, they could have made this episode 71 and I would have been happy. For fans of the show, then this of course is a must, and at least it looks and sounds impressive. Otherwise, there’s nothing else to make it stand out.

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Vera (Vikander) is desperate to go to Oxford but her father (and, quite frankly, most of society) won’t have a bar of it. Her brother, Edward (Taron Egerton, unrecognisable from his character in Kingsman: The Secret Service) is the only one on her side, but she’s barely succeeded in her goal when the Great War breaks out. We follow Vera from her Oxford days to her time serving as a nurse close to enemy lines.

In case you hadn’t guessed, this isn’t a happy film. It doesn’t actually show any of the fighting going on just outside of Vera’s experience, but like her, we see the results as she tends to the wounded and dying. This is the first feature film adaptation of Brittain’s 1933 book, and it’s surprising that it’s taken this long to appear. Being written from the perspective of a young woman, it’s a refreshing take on the war film genre.

Words cannot describe just how incredible Vikander is in the lead role. The film takes the time to stick close to Vera during her solitary moments, and really lets us see inside her head. Whether she’s remembering the briefest of gentle touches from the object of her affection, Roland (Kit Harington), or imagining what’s going on behind enemy lines, director James Kent keeps the focus on her. Vikander is such an amazingly expressive performer that even the quietest moment is filled with feeling.

It’s also important to note that this is a much better film than Seventh Son, which also featured Vikander and Harington. Even better news is that five minutes after Harington’s appearance, I forgot that I was watching Jon Snow. The same couldn’t be said for the fleeting appearances from Dominic West, however, as it was hard to shake the idea that McNulty had been dropped into ‘Downton Abbey’. Hayley Atwell also popped up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment.

The only real flaw with Testament of Youth is that the film’s strongest moments are all over a good 20 minutes before the credits roll. Nevertheless, this is a powerful film that deserves to be seen. Vikander’s presence is going to be felt on the big screen in a big way in 2015 (IMDb has six 2015 films to her name), so we’re all in for a treat.

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Kate Winslet plays Sabine de Barra, a woman who is given the task of designing the grand gardens at Versailles. Under the keen eye of André Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts), she has to work hard in a race against time to complete the gardens to the satisfaction of King Louis XIV, whilst others would love to see her fail. The film suggests Sabine is some kind of rogue gardener, and that she brings the kind of chaos referenced in the title to the very ordered gardening traditions that prevailed at the time. Except, aside from an early moment where she moves a pot plant (gasp!) we don’t really see this maverick approach applied throughout the film.

Winslet is, of course, wonderful. But she always is. The problem here is that she has to portray some sort of romantic interest in André, despite the fact that Schoenaerts plays him as the dullest man imaginable. His face is completely devoid of expression – I don’t think I even saw the man blink – and his line delivery simply slows the film down.

Winslet’s scenes with Louis XIV (Alan Rickman, who also directs) are much more entertaining, not to mention those featuring the ever-amazing Stanley Tucci. But the best scene in the entire film involves half a dozen female characters who are only present for several minutes. The problem is, this occurs at least three quarters of the way into the film, and all its good work is then undone by a gods-awful flashback sequence that is as ineffective as it is awkward.

A Little Chaos is a quaint film that doesn’t soar to any particular height. The narrative takes very few risks, and thus the film isn’t anything more than a mildly entertaining diversion. If it weren’t for the fact that the most important scenes of the film, those of grand tragedy or intense passion, are almost amateurish and otherwise lifeless, then this would have been a perfectly acceptable cinematic experience. The film will certainly entertain some, but I sincerely doubt anyone will remember much about it years down the track. See it for Winslet, Rickman and Tucci; just don’t expect too much.

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A highly fictionalised account of the life and work of Jiro Horikoshi (Hideaki Anno), and adapted from Miyazaki’s own manga, The Wind Rises is a period drama that has everything you want in a Studio Ghibli film. We have wonderfully quiet moments, colourful vistas, fantastical sequences and an unerring ability to find beauty in the mundane.

Jiro is an engineer who dreams of creating the perfect flying machines. The problem is that he knows his aircraft will be used for war. Set in the years leading up to World War II, there’s a sense that something horrid lies in wait in the near future, and Jiro is conflicted about his creations. At the same time, he falls in love with Naoko Satomi (Miori Takimoto), a young woman whom he meets during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

I only recently saw Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) for the first time, and I found it to be an absolute mess. Very little of that film worked for me, so I was nervous that perhaps Miyazaki’s final film would similarly disappoint. I needn’t have worried. The Wind Rises is a touching film. It has a steady, graceful pace, and whilst it probably could have done with 20 minutes chopped out of the 126 minute runtime, I was never bored.

There really is a good case to be made that this is Miyazaki’s masterpiece. It feels like his most mature film, and the effortless way it manages to hold back, avoiding melodrama whenever it can, is impressive. The backdrop of war, and the Japanese aircraft manufacturer’s uneasy relationship with Germany is hinted at, but never truly becomes the focus.

The Blu-ray presentation is excellent, and also features a picture-in-picture function where you can watch the film alongside the complete storyboards. There’s a 90 minute press conference with Miyazaki and other important figures from the film (something for which I don’t have the patience) as well as a ten minute featurette with the American voice cast.

If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli, then you’ve probably seen this film already, but if you haven’t, The Wind Rises is a real treat. If Miyazaki really has retired, then he’s done so on an amazingly high note.

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Michael Pitt plays Ian, a molecular biologist fascinated with the eye. When he has to supervise first year student Karen (Marling), the two of them inadvertently stumble across a discovery that will shock the foundations of both the scientific and religious world. That’s about as much as you need to know; to outline anything more of the plot would be to spoil a film that manages to surprise again and again.

I Origins isn’t quite as consistent as Another Earth. That 2011 film had a clear, simple premise, and followed it doggedly to its conclusion. This is another story altogether. The narrative shifts more than once, and perhaps feels less cohesive as a consequence. Sometimes a romance, other times a work of science fiction or even a kind of medical thriller, the film is content to be a patchwork. As a kind of Pi lite however, it gets the job done.

Pitt and Marling work well onscreen. As a couple of scientists pushing the boundaries of knowledge, they are more than a little reminiscent of Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley in Splice. Marling exhibits the kind of stillness that she’s become known for, whilst Pitt is good at playing the tortured, singularly-focussed scientist. Steven Yuen from ‘The Walking Dead’ is great in a small supporting role whilst Astrid Bergés-Frisbey (last seen as a mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) brings an otherworldly presence to the role of Sofi, the object of Ian’s desires.

I have to admit that the film is inadvertently amusing more than once. There are some extreme moments that feel out of place or unjustified by the narrative as a whole, and come off as unintentionally humorous. For those who enjoy a good provocative sci-fi, then I Origins might be for you. It mightn’t be as close to perfect as Another Earth, but there’s enough in there to have you talking about the film afterwards.

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Otto plays Elizabeth, the terminally shy young woman who is apprehensive about coming out as a poet, not to mention lesbian. When she goes to stay with her friend from college, Mary (Tracy Middendorf), she’s taken aback by Mary’s lover, Lota. A coolly confident woman, she takes an initial dislike to Elizabeth, whom she sees as a bit of a wallflower. However, a bond forms between the two of them and romance soon follows.

Set in Brazil in the 1950s, Reaching for the Moon moves at a languid pace, but never becomes boring. Its greatest assets are the central three actresses. Their personalities contrast, clash and complement each other perfectly. Otto proves yet again that she should have the lead role in more feature films, whilst Pires’ approach to Lota seems so gloriously effortless. Finally, there is Middendorf, whose character unfortunately gets sidelined for the second half of the film. The best moments are those when all three are onscreen, so it’s disappointing that we see less and less of her as the film goes on. Finally, we have the inexorable Treat Williams, who has to be one of hardest working actors ever.

The location scenes are gorgeous, and Soares’ retreat in what looks to be the middle of the Brazilian jungle is beautiful. The film obviously didn’t have too much money to throw around, but the visual effects successfully take us back in time.

The film overstays its welcome somewhat, and is a little heavy-handed when it comes to symbolism. I do, however, appreciate it for the fact that it tells the type of story we don’t often see on the big screen, and it would certainly pass the Bechdel Test with flying colours.

I generally don’t enjoy biopics, but Reaching for the Moon worked for me. Whilst is alludes to Elizabeth’s childhood, it doesn’t fall into the trap of following her life story from beginning to end. The familiar beats of the genre are here, however, including the childhood episode that would shape the woman she’d become. The references to the political situation in Brazil at the time tended to go over my head, but they’re not so important as to side-track the narrative.

A solid piece of filmmaking with three fantastic actresses, Reaching for the Moon is a quiet achiever.

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The most amazing part of Steins;Gate is just how much genre hopping the show does throughout its 25 episode run. In the beginning, it’s like a sitcom version of Primer. We have a group of young people, headed by self-styled mad scientist, Rintarō Okabe (Mamoru Miyano), who are in their tiny apartment, scrounging together bits and pieces in an effort to create the inventions of the future. Okabe is perpetually dressed in a labcoat, having pretend conversations with covert agents on his mobile, and cackling maniacally whenever he gets the chance. Mayuri Shiina (Kana Hanazawa) is his childhood friend and a typical Japanese kawaii innocent, perpetually in good spirits, and Daru Hashida (Tomokazu Seki ) is Okabe’s high school buddy and experienced computer hacker. Together the three of them manage to create a time machine of sorts.

The time machine in question is a microwave, and it has the uncanny ability to send text messages into the past. It’s a subtle means of affecting the future, and one of the more realistic presentations of time travel we’ve seen on screen. Before long, the group are sending lottery tickets into the past in an attempt to make themselves rich.

The first half of series is along these lines – always entertaining but rather shallow. But it’s at the halfway point that everything begins to change. I won’t spoil it for you here, but rest assured that the type of plots twists you’ve seen in the likes of ‘The Sound of Thunder’ and its various incarnations are taken to the extreme. Ethical quandaries, temporal paradoxes and grandiose tragedy are all on the menu, and Steins;Gate goes through all of them one by one.

The series features what would have to be a record number of female characters this side of Strike Witches. As well as Mayuri, we have the scientific prodigy that is Kurisu Makise (Asami Imai), a student of neuroscience. There’s also the shy and secretive Moeka Kiryū (Saori Gotō), who communicates only through text message, and Ruka Urushibara (Yū Kobayashi), a boy who desperately wishes he was born a girl. Finally, we have Suzuha Amane (Yukari Tamura), who came to town looking for her long lost father. They are a disparate bunch, but the variety makes for some wonderful character interactions and a balanced narrative.

For series that starts out feeling a little flippant, I can assure you that there are some incredibly dramatic moments in the second half. The narrative takes full advantage of the time travel conceit, and we are subject to quite a bit of circular insanity, as tragedy is piled upon revelation over and over again. The writing really is stunning, and the time travel mechanic means that the script can have its cake and eat it too, again and again.

The animation isn’t as flashy as some other shows out there. There’s only one 3D element in the entire series, that of an oscillating fan, and we see it way too often. The colour palate is deliberately washed out also. In fact, the whole show is oversaturated, as if you’d walked from a darkened room to bright sunshine outside, white being the dominant colour. There isn’t much in the way of special features on the Blu-ray aside from audio commentaries, but to have the entire series in one box set is a blessing, as this is really a show you need to watch in several big gulps, rather than spreading it out.

A genius piece of science fiction in more ways than one, Steins;Gate is a constantly surprising and memorable experience. It perhaps overstays its welcome, insofar as the first half could have been slightly abbreviated, but that only means when the proverbial hits the fan, it’s all the more shocking. Highly recommended.

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